Free Paris and the Prince: A BWWM Billionaire Romance (Royal Weddings Book 1) by Mia Caldwell Page A
Authors: Mia Caldwell
slumber, and she yawned and stretched as the villa came into view. Even through her sleepy eyes, what she saw, bathed in setting sunlight, took her breath away...
15
T he house , if you could even call it just a “house,” was like nothing Paris had ever seen in her life. It almost looked like a miniaturized castle, covered top to bottom in soft white stones, and peppered with huge windows, each with its own tiled mosaic decorating it. A tower on the right side of the house featured floor-to-ceiling windows, each with their own balcony. In fact, the whole house was covered in balconies, all of which had their own different views of the ocean or the villa's natural swimming pool, or the gorgeous grassy acres of wooded land.
From the driveway, Paris could just make out the canopied outdoor bed, which overlooked the pool. When Paris went to speak, she was worried that she might not be able to form proper words.
“Alex... this place... it's like a dream! How do you... What are we even doing here?”
Alex put the car in park and jumped out of the R8, hoping to deflect any other questions as he mumbled, “Oh, you know how it is. Family, friends... whatnot.”
No, she thought wryly, I most definitely do NOT know…
Paris tried to argue, but she was still too in awe of everything around them to think up the right phrases. She just crawled out of the car and stared up, jaw agape, at the house. With both of their bags slung over his shoulder, Alex walked up beside Paris and took her hand in his own.
“It's getting pretty cold out here. Would you like to go inside? Maybe start a fire? Or we can just stand out here all night, if you'd prefer.”
Paris gently punched Alex's shoulder before he leaned over and kissed her softly on the cheek. Paris was still so distracted by the beauty of the house's facade that she barely noticed as Alex unlocked the front door and punched in an elaborate alarm code. It wasn't until Alex pulled her inside the house that she became aware of how completely different the internal design of the house was from the outside.
The furniture and art were modern and bright, dazzling shades of teal and brown that set off the beautiful hardwood floors. Soft grey curtains accented every window, giving the main rooms a cozy warmth that Paris wanted to melt into.
As Alex set down the bags and went about lighting the two main fireplaces in the living room, Paris began exploring the rest of the downstairs. First, she wandered into the kitchen, a wide-open space with a dual-view fireplace and sparkling stainless steel appliances. Large double windows with weathered shutters flung open filled the spaces over the sink and stove, bathing the room in the soft light of the setting sun that was reflecting off the ocean.
Next, Paris found herself in a magnificent library. Built-in mahogany bookshelves took up every space on the wall, except for the area occupied by a gorgeous marble fireplace and one huge window, which looked out over the lawn.
Antique rugs and leather arm chairs decorated every inch of the room, and a few family photos in opulent frames were scattered across table tops.
Paris picked up one of the photos: three young boys, close in age and remarkably similar in appearance, riding horses on a beach as a handsome man ran alongside them, laughing. She couldn't help but notice that the oldest of the boys looked strikingly like a smaller version of Alex...
Paris found her thoughts interrupted when Alex poked his head in the library.
“Hungry? I can make us some dinner if you'd like.”
Paris smiled and nodded her head, distracted from her thoughts of the picture by her suddenly ravenous appetite.
----
A lex had called ahead to the skeleton staff that was in residence when the family was not in town, asking them to air out the house and supply it with everything he needed. He had then asked them to make themselves scarce. The staff were well trained, and did not ask any questions. Royalty was
15
T he house , if you could even call it just a “house,” was like nothing Paris had ever seen in her life. It almost looked like a miniaturized castle, covered top to bottom in soft white stones, and peppered with huge windows, each with its own tiled mosaic decorating it. A tower on the right side of the house featured floor-to-ceiling windows, each with their own balcony. In fact, the whole house was covered in balconies, all of which had their own different views of the ocean or the villa's natural swimming pool, or the gorgeous grassy acres of wooded land.
From the driveway, Paris could just make out the canopied outdoor bed, which overlooked the pool. When Paris went to speak, she was worried that she might not be able to form proper words.
“Alex... this place... it's like a dream! How do you... What are we even doing here?”
Alex put the car in park and jumped out of the R8, hoping to deflect any other questions as he mumbled, “Oh, you know how it is. Family, friends... whatnot.”
No, she thought wryly, I most definitely do NOT know…
Paris tried to argue, but she was still too in awe of everything around them to think up the right phrases. She just crawled out of the car and stared up, jaw agape, at the house. With both of their bags slung over his shoulder, Alex walked up beside Paris and took her hand in his own.
“It's getting pretty cold out here. Would you like to go inside? Maybe start a fire? Or we can just stand out here all night, if you'd prefer.”
Paris gently punched Alex's shoulder before he leaned over and kissed her softly on the cheek. Paris was still so distracted by the beauty of the house's facade that she barely noticed as Alex unlocked the front door and punched in an elaborate alarm code. It wasn't until Alex pulled her inside the house that she became aware of how completely different the internal design of the house was from the outside.
The furniture and art were modern and bright, dazzling shades of teal and brown that set off the beautiful hardwood floors. Soft grey curtains accented every window, giving the main rooms a cozy warmth that Paris wanted to melt into.
As Alex set down the bags and went about lighting the two main fireplaces in the living room, Paris began exploring the rest of the downstairs. First, she wandered into the kitchen, a wide-open space with a dual-view fireplace and sparkling stainless steel appliances. Large double windows with weathered shutters flung open filled the spaces over the sink and stove, bathing the room in the soft light of the setting sun that was reflecting off the ocean.
Next, Paris found herself in a magnificent library. Built-in mahogany bookshelves took up every space on the wall, except for the area occupied by a gorgeous marble fireplace and one huge window, which looked out over the lawn.
Antique rugs and leather arm chairs decorated every inch of the room, and a few family photos in opulent frames were scattered across table tops.
Paris picked up one of the photos: three young boys, close in age and remarkably similar in appearance, riding horses on a beach as a handsome man ran alongside them, laughing. She couldn't help but notice that the oldest of the boys looked strikingly like a smaller version of Alex...
Paris found her thoughts interrupted when Alex poked his head in the library.
“Hungry? I can make us some dinner if you'd like.”
Paris smiled and nodded her head, distracted from her thoughts of the picture by her suddenly ravenous appetite.
----
A lex had called ahead to the skeleton staff that was in residence when the family was not in town, asking them to air out the house and supply it with everything he needed. He had then asked them to make themselves scarce. The staff were well trained, and did not ask any questions. Royalty was
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